Valerie Vargas

i want kids for sure. my mother had me much later than most women i know, even today it kinda makes me feel like i can wait but also not too long... we'll see, it's something i definitely think about and what it would mean to me and my tattooing.

I use that sylvia shader every day, it's a workhorse and then some. Theres shirtless tattooing ALL the time going on at the shop, the boys only though, must be an italian/welsh/northerner thing. We also have the no air con down sadly, but no sight of leather pants yet, ooft!

Getting excited about the show now, got all my prints, business cards and fancy stickers all sorted out (for once!, no last minute running around like an idiot). Looking forward to the Chris Conn seminar and seeing friends again, eep! oh and getting tattooed doh!

yeh, he didnt seem to enjoy talking about himself or show his house around, i would have enjoyed it all the same if he had just spoken about tattoos only but hey...

i'd imagine that's not possible unless requested to a forum mod or owner. on twitter you can change your username willy nilly but i think most places online, the username you sign up is the one you get stuck with.

i've been asked to have my picture taken at conventions a couple of times, mostly when i've been darting between the booth and the bathroom but ive said no, because i hate having my picture taken, i just hate it, if it's of me doing my job then that's fine since thats what i'm at convention for. my customers are free to do get pictures taken of their tattoo but i would prefer it if it was part finished if they politely declined and waited till it was completed. There's a magazine i'm not happy with in particular and when a customer asked for my permission to have his tattoo snapped (he thought it was the decent thing to ask me anyway) by either that mag or a different one i quite like, i said he could do what he wanted but that i really wasnt keen on the first one and i explained why, he went for second one which was cool of him to trust me.

it was great to watch, really enjoying this tattoo age stuff. can't wait for the next one!

Soho has been totally fine, no problems there at all thank goodness. tonight after finishing late we stepped outside to van after van of police and ambulances, but it turned out they were getting free coffee from bar italia next door, my stomach did a little flip before i realised!

that was a great response, i really enjoyed and hope to hear more stories from your good self. Thanks for sharing!

dude, you beat me to it!! i just posted this to mr LST blog

Stewart put together this video of Frith Street at work. Every now and then he does them, a fun way to document what goes on at the shop i think.

yep. i dont care if customers know some terms or not. to be honest, there's no terms as such really. rays, clouds red bursts, thats it really. if a customer was being incredibly picky as to highlight every last bit of the design i'd be a lot worried. best thing to do if youre dead set on certain details is to print out examples from the tattooer's online portfolio or point them out at the shop when having a chat. ive had people bring me an almost entire portfolio of other people's work expecting me to do it, and i always say to just go to the guy whose all this work belongs to.

woah, some harsh shit going down!

mentioning hawksmoor yet again. oh my lord, we went there last night with another couple of friends and we drank and we frickin' ate! my mate had an 800gr porterhouse steak and ate it all himself, i couldnt believe it. the heavy dinner certainly made itself present at the time to retire to bed. i've barely slept a wink and can't bear to stay in bed any longer, my guts are rebelling. anyone in London needs to visit this place, check out their website, reviews and menu, WELL worth it for the connoisseur of fine steaks! ps. we could spy a forum member there too, with his other half! good choice of restaurant

I got my ribs tattooed by stewart maaaaany years ago and one of the sittings was 5 and a bit hrs, that was fun! haha. he says i fell asleep but i think i was just passed out. then jack rudy tattooed a topless babe on my thigh this year at the milano convention that took 6 hrs inc drawing time. the thigh one was actually incredibly easy going though, was feeling a wee bit raw towards the end but could have gone on longer if needed. getting the front of your thigh tattooed is generally easy i feel but he was so gentle it boggled my mind

Im afraid i don't know anyone in your local area, but if you're willing to travel just a little bit extra i recommend Laserlife on baker street, london (i'm not 100% on the name though, something along those lines) or Tattoo Uk have a branch in Rayner's lane also in london (tube stop right across the street) that do laser treatment. I think your best bet is to first of all find an artist whose work you like and ask for their opinion, every tattooer feels different about cover ups and they might suggest something you have not considered before. voices on the internet can only help so far, for actual guidance and trustworthy option you should really start off with finding a new artist and speaking with them in person.

Where in the uk?

i agree with msrad, also next time be sure to research your tattooer and check their portfolio is up to the job before you book in. good luck!

i think mine are, in no particular order: Chad Koeplinger, Scott Sylvia, Ed Hardy, Chris Conn, Henning Jorgensen. what a tight list, i think i honestly would need 10 at least to feel like less of a dick for leaving some of my other favourite tattooers out there

i think dan's entire post was being sarcastic, no?

Just a little fluff piece but sweet all the same. nice to see nice stories involving heavily tattooed people for a change rather than the usualy freakshow shit. Jacqui Moore celebrates divorce with full body tattoo by new lover | Metro.co.uk

that first post offends my eyes and heart

hey steve, yes the delete option is there now, thanks!

i listen to john frusciante often, his solo stuff, not all his albums are to many people's tastes but i highly recommend the empyrean, shadows collide with people and the will to death. they are slightly more listenable in a work environment. Recently I was told about the XX, they only have one album out but it's awesomely chilled out and a bit goth which is always good in my book. UNKLE's War Stories is also great, chris goss helped produce it. Beck has a big bunch of awesome albums too, Boards of Canada's Geogaddi, also check out Basil Poledouris' Conan the barbarian OST, I listen to it a few times a week at least, so good! I agree, you should check out spotify for finding new music, the 'similar artists' bit really helps find new music. i use the paid for spotify service which allows 'offline' mode so you can play saved playlists and radios on your iphone/ipod. really worth the money and then some. good luck! ps. Fragile by Yes

hmm, i dont see the option. all i see on the right hand side is 'image info, 'image manipulation' and 'image replacement'. no mention of delete...